City Attorney Dan Van Thiel has represented the city of Seaside since 1969. His career will come to a close in February, as city staff announced a hiring process for the position.

The request for proposals for the attorney services closed on Dec. 9, City Manager Spencer Kyle said in announcing the search.

“We received applications from two law firms,” Kyle said. “They’re both two very well qualified firms that represent local municipalities.”

Staff and the City Council will review the proposals and schedule an interview with each firm, which is anticipated for January.

“The City Council felt that with other staff changes happening in Seaside, it was a good time to look for new legal representation,” Kyle said.

Van Thiel, who lives in Baker City, said the City Council has the ability to hire and employ three individuals in city government: the city manager, the city judge and the city attorney.

The council has hired a new city manager and a new municipal judge, Van Thiel said.

“The thought was, ‘Let’s just start a new refresh.’ They indicated they thought the interests of the city were best provided by having a new city attorney,” he said. “I met with the mayor on it and it was decided that they would go out to solicit resumes or applications from people that are interested in being the city attorney in Seaside.”

Van Thiel was asked to stay until Feb. 1, which he agreed to.

Van Thiel earned his bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Idaho in 1962. He passed the Oregon State Bar in 1964. He worked with a title company in Astoria before joining the Astoria-based law firm of Anderson, Fulton, Lavis & Van Thiel in 1967. While he was with that firm, he was asked by the city of Seaside if he would consider being a city attorney.

Since then, he has represented the cities of Astoria, Warrenton, Cannon Beach and Seaside.

He and his wife moved to Baker City about 20 years ago, continuing to represent Seaside and clients throughout the state.

He continues to represent the Eastern Oregon cities of Richland, Mount Vernon, Halfway and Baker City.

A city attorney has to be “pretty well-rounded in the law,” Van Thiel said, with prosecutions in municipal courts, violations of city ordinances and criminal issues.

“Virtually on a daily basis I have to deal with issues that come out of the planning department,” he said.

Business licensing, transient room taxes, real estate matters and land use matters are all within his purview.

Van Thiel said he has enjoyed working with Seaside. “It is a wonderful little community,” he said. “It’s a community that is very progressive. It is very forward-looking.”